Our U.S. Team

The journey to start Allies began when Chris visited a Russian orphanage with his church on a short-term mission trip. Learning about the plight of orphans in Russia broke his heart and birthed a determination to save the lives of those children. Allies was formed in 2011 to help orphans and has since transformed the lives of thousands of children across five continents.

Chris holds a B.A. from Mississippi State University and a Master’s of Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ten years as a small business owner and 15 years on staff at a local church provided Chris with the leadership skills and know-how to successfully create an organization that will influence generations across the globe.

Dr. Tatiana Baeva is responsible for instituting the mentorship program that has become the core of how Allies in Youth Development has changed the lives of thousands of orphans. She is our liaison between the United States and other countries where she continues to expand our connections around the world.

Dr. Baeva has a Ph.D. in Russian and a master’s degree in English. She taught Russian, literature, and other subjects at Russian and American universities for 18 years, 10 of which were at University of Texas at Arlington. She created a summer abroad program for UTA and has taken students to Russia for several years, including trips with Allies.

She also volunteered for six years editing the Russian literary and art magazine Leaves. Her hobbies include reading, languages and bilingualism, early childhood education, and neurosciences. Dr. Baeva loves to work on projects helping children and people in need.

Mollie joins Allies with an extensive background in business, education, and faith-based service organizations. She raised her family as a business expat in Malaysia, China, Japan, and Russia. This gave her a unique perspective on the world and a passion for helping exploited and under-resourced women and children. She taught middle school Bible and history in Moscow, Russia, led cross-cultural community Bible studies, and served the often forgotten with food and compassion.

Mollie holds an MBA from Willamette University. She and her husband, Jeff, have two married children, and attend Gateway Church where they lead a small group. Mollie loves to pray and is excited to use her experience to help orphans build a better future.

Born and raised in Fort Worth and a Texas Christian University graduate, Suzan brings 30 years of fundraising and development experience to Allies. Her previous job titles include Director of Special Events and Director of Development for Fort Worth Christian School as well as Director of Public Relations and School Development at Mount Dora Christian School in Florida. She also worked with Partnership Engagement and Let’s Start Talking Ministries.

Suzan and her husband, Jay, live in North Richland Hills. They have four children and four grandchildren and attend Gateway Church in North Richland Hills.

A native Texan, Jay was born in Fort Worth and attended Texas Wesleyan University majoring in business. Jay worked as a general contractor and CEO of Jay Jenkins Custom Homes and has more than 25 years experience working in sales and management.

His heart for helping orphans was ignited when his wife, Suzan, came to work at Allies in 2020. Jay is humbled and excited to join the Allies team and play a part in showing leaders how their churches can bring the hope of Jesus Christ to orphans throughout the world. He has a passion for serving God and is on the prayer ministry team at Gateway Church in North Richland Hills. He and Suzan have four children and four grandchildren.

Sharon grew up in Itasca, Texas and attended Texas Tech University and Perkins School of Theology. She served as a pastor and ministry leader in the Mansfield community for the past 30 years, serving 10 of those years leading ministry to students. She also served as executive pastor, discipleship pastor, missions and serving pastor, and congregational care pastor.

Sharon and her husband, Ron, have been supporters of Allies since 2012, when Sharon traveled with Allies to Russia in its first year. They live in Mansfield and have three adult sons and one amazing grandson. Sharon and Ron are active members of Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, where Sharon serves as an associate pastor.

A Dallas native, Kate has always thrived in any position where she has been able to care for and celebrate the lives of God’s littlest loves. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017 with a degree in psychology and has served children ever since. Whether it is a counselor at camp or a tour guide at the zoo, Kate’s heart is undoubtedly for children.

Before joining Allies, she was lead sponsorship coordinator at Orphan Outreach for three years. She recently moved to Mansfield with her husband, Hamilton, and their new baby

Stephanie brings a strong background in nonprofit fundraising data and reporting to the engagement team. She excels in CRM data management and analysis, helping drive informed, strategic decision-making and meaningful donor stewardship. With an MBA from the University of Houston, she believes well-curated information is one of the most powerful tools for strengthening donor relationships.

A native Texan, Stephanie lives in Fort Worth with her husband and three children. Her passion for orphans and global cultures is rooted in her family’s own adoption journey and the many foreign exchange students they’ve welcomed from around the world.

Happy Hayes joins the partnership engagement team as an advocate for Allies on the East Coast. Born and raised in beautiful South Carolina, she holds a B.A. in physical education with an emphasis in health promotion from Columbia College. She spent 14 years in the for-profit sector in sales and training roles, sharpening her communication and relationship-building skills.

Having followed Allies from its earliest days, Happy felt a growing call to be part of the work God is doing through the organization. Now, she’s excited to use her gifts to connect others to the mission of serving orphans and vulnerable children around the world.

Born and raised in Texas, Rebecca Williams loves to share the good news of what the Lord is doing and is excited to join the partnership engagement team for the Granbury area. She took her first mission trip to Honduras as a junior in high school. That experience stirred a desire in her to serve others around the world, including teaching English lessons using the gospel in Brazil and Hungary.

Rebecca earned her B.S in interdisciplinary studies with a supplemental certification for ELL from University of North Texas. She taught elementary education and served as a houseparent at Christ’s Haven for Children before starting her own family. Rebecca and her husband, Nick, live in Granbury with their three boys and attend StoneWater Church.

Debbie has been passionate about volunteerism and missions since she was a young adult. She and her husband, Bob, have taken countless mission trips both at home and abroad and have been members of Rush Creek Church for more than 20 years. Most recently, they opened their home to two Russian students during the first Omsk Student Cultural Exchange Program hosted by Allies in 2019.

Debbie has also been an interior designer for 34 years and owned her own design company for 28 years, but is excited to be working where her passion is by helping to empower orphans. Debbie and Bob live in Mansfield and have five children and nine grandchildren. .

Whether in the classroom, community, church, or nonprofit work, Meredith has spent 25 years pouring into others. A proud Texas A&M graduate, she brings a strong background in leadership, communication, and community engagement to her role. Her journey includes walking alongside survivors of human trafficking on their path to restoration, deepening her belief in the power of mentoring and her passion for empowering others to make a difference. With experience in education, volunteer management, team culture-building, and public speaking, Meredith is committed to inspiring others to live with purpose and serve their communities.

Meredith and her husband, Ryan, live in Mansfield with their three children and are actively involved at Creekwood Church, where they share a love for missions and community.

Originally from Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, Heather graduated from Radford University with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. She worked as a reporter for newspapers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia before becoming a stay at home mom for many years.

Heather and her husband, Robert, live in Mansfield with their six children where they attend Life.Church Mansfield. After a 2011 mission trip serving orphans in Haiti, Heather’s heart for orphans grew exponentially. She is honored to use her writing and editing background for an organization that is doing so much for children and others around the world.

Rachel grew up in Mansfield and earned a B. A. in psychology from the University of North Texas in 2019 and a master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in child and adolescent psychology in 2022.

She has a heart for community service and helping those in need. She recently became a member of the Mansfield Rotary Club, and was involved in many community projects over the years including Meals on Wheels, the Flag Project, and Habitat for Humanity. She also volunteers at Cook Children’s Hospital. Rachel has a dog, Trixie, and likes to spend time with her family, read, do arts and crafts, and is learning to play the violin.

Nick Williams, Creative Thinker and Project Director at Beckett Marketing, Inc., has provided web development and creative services for Allies since 2012. He provides guidance and execution of design, marketing, data, and web-related services. Born and raised in Texas, Nick graduated from Abilene Christian University with a B.A. and dual major in advertising and graphic design.

He has a passion to serve where there is a need including helping the homeless, orphans, and widows. He and his wife, Rebecca, have been on short-term mission trips to Honduras, Philippines, Germany, Hungary, and others. They also served as houseparents for Christ's Haven for Children. Nick loves the outdoors, fishing, and traveling. He and Rebecca live in Granbury with their three sons and golden retriever.

Mike was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has worked with Allies for more than five years. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.A. in radio, television, and film where he also studied the Russian language and Russian history and literature. Since his college days, he hoped to one day travel to Russia and joining the Allies team in 2018 gave him that opportunity. Mike has since taken trips to Russia and Moldova with Allies and said it was very special to meet Allies volunteers in those areas.

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